scholarships

Weird and Unusual Scholarships

     Everyone expects the valedictorian to get scholarship offers, but what about scholarships for left handed people? Or how about winning college aid for wearing a suit made out of duct tape? Would you believe that there is an award for tall people? All of the these are actual scholarships.

    Of course, such scholarships represent a small minority of the total grants available, but in the spirit of leaving no stone unturned, every student should think carefully what unique qualities they might have that could be worth college money.

     The field of competition is usually much less than you expect to find with most scholarships. This is because few people know about them and they are so unusual that few would even consider them as a possibility. Another great advantage to these types of awards is that grades and SAT scores may be a secondary consideration to your "special skill." A couple interesting examples:

     The Duck Brand Duct Tape Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest offers a chance for you and your date to win money for college if your are willing to wear duck tape to the prom. Check out their website for creative designs for duct tape prom wear.

     The Tall Clubs International organization offers a $1000 scholarship for tall people. The minimun height requirements are 6'2" for a males and 5'10" for females.  You must also be at least 21 and entering college for the first time in the following Fall.

The American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship Program awards ten $2000 awards to the winners of their fire sprinkler essay contest. All high school seniors who are U.S. citizens or legal resident can apply.

Left-handed students at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania can apply for a truly unique scholarship--one for left-handed people only. At $2,000 - $5,000 it is well-worth applying for. Such rare offering illustrates part of your scholarship search: you must check with the financial aid office of your school of choice to find such offerings.

     Finding these unusual scholarships may be one of the biggest challenges. Try internet searches for any and all unique qualities, skills, and hobbies you may have.


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